So easy to work with! Very organized, my student felt confident and prepared. Brian was extremely…read moreresponsive and was helpful in responding to the needed learning accommodations for my student who has them at school. Overall a wonderful experience for our new driver AND his parents.

Had an absolutely great experience here. Everything was very organized and easy to schedule. My…read moredaughter actually enjoyed the classes and really benefitted from the one on one lessons. I ended up adding extra one on one lessons because my daughter is a nervous driver. It was great how he picks up from your house for lessons and how Brian gives the final road test. He's a great teacher , highly recommended

Pedro with Nova was a great instructor. I did the 1 hour behind the wheel instruction with road…read moretest. He showed me the route and all the things to remember while taking the road test. We drove the route multiple times. And I passed first try with flying colors. Definitely recommend.

tl,dr: Let my driver's license expire, needed a new one, plus a car to use for the driving test…read more Nova Driving School was fantastic. I moved back to Chicago after 14 years in SF and finally needed to get my license again, mainly so I could help my aging folks in Southern Indiana if I needed to. I don't own a car, and I didn't want to borrow one from friends, so I looked for a driving school that also provides a vehicle for the test. Nova kept coming up in the ads, searches, and on Reddit. But I still needed an instructional permit to drive for the driving test. I went to the downtown DMV, took the written and vision tests, and got my instructional permit. I bought Nova's "2HR BTW + ROAD TEST" package on their site, which included 2 hours with an instructor and the use of the car on the day of the DMV. Called a coordinator, and they got me set up for a Friday morning. I'd show up at 6am at the Elston DMV (closest to me), practice the route in their car, then take the driving test. I arrived at the DMV at 6 AM, where I met an instructor named Jamie. He provided an overview of the driving test, explaining what the examiners look for and what questions they might ask. After that, we switched sides, and I got behind the wheel for the first time in 20 years. I was relieved to find that everything came back to me. Jamie took me through the two variations of the route used for the test. The route was very short, consisting of about four to five turns. There was no parallel parking or interstate driving involved. (Please note that this is specific to the Elston DMV; other branches may have different procedures.) Another student arrived, so we picked him up, and I sat in the back while that student drove the route a few times. Then, two more students joined us, making it three in the back and one in the driver's seat, with the instructor in the front. Each of us drove the route 2-3 times, and we had the opportunity to ask questions. As my appointment time approached, I returned to the front seat and went for another round of the two main route variations. Got into the DMV showing my text confirmation of my appointment. They won't let you enter without revealing either the email or the text proof of your appointment. And this branch doesn't take walk-ins. Stood in the first line to get the paperwork reviewed. I went to the camera line to get a photo, then waited, went to a counter, had everything reviewed, filled out more paperwork, signed more things, went over to pay at the cashier, came back, and got my paperwork for my driving test. Went outside to wait to take the driving test. Note that you can't stay inside the building so dress warm if it's winter. The other guys had less complicated paperwork, so one was in line for the driving test. The other one was in front of me. Then I was next. But this is mixed in with all the different people taking the written test. I waited an hour for the car to come back from the other guy and then got in. The instructor drove me around to the back parking lot. He stepped out, I took the driver's side, and got in line, the line of cars. I waited about 40 minutes in the car in line to get my assigned examiner. They had about 4-5 working that day across 3 lines of vehicles. I was finally at the front; the examiner who was the same woman who had helped me with the paperwork got in. We went exactly the route that Nova had reviewed with me several times. At the end, you have to park in a wide test parking space, then after that you park in angled parking with the rest of the other cars, with completed driving tests, but awaiting results. I choked on the question about which way your wheels point if you are facing uphill/downhill, and which side of the road you are on. Overthinking myself. But still passed thankfully. Examiner gets up, out, and leaves, and goes on to another driving test. 10 minutes later, another person comes out with my temporary driver's license and hands it to me, and I'm done. The real one arrives in 2-3 weeks. The $245 fee was definitely worth it for having a car provided, receiving two hours of driving experience on the exact test routes, and having them handle the appointment scheduling. And Jamie the instructor was clear, patient, and at ease in explaining and repeating all things we needed to keep in mind. I procrastinated on this for a long time and felt foolish when I realized how simple and straightforward the process was. If you're in a similar situation, make getting a new driver's license one of your goals for 2026 and call Nova.

Louis did a great job, he went out of his way! Got through the exam on the first try. Very fair…read moreprices too.

I called this school and spoke with Carlos, I told him that my brother didn't have a car, and asked…read moreif they will allow anyone to use their car to take the driving test, Carlos told me yes, so I gave his number to my brother, my brother called him that same day, Carlos stated that he would take my for his license on today, but when my brother called him yesterday, he did not answer the phone, my brother spoke with him today, but carlos gave him a bunch of excuses of why he couldn't take him, I wonder if any African Americans have used this driving school before? If not then I understand why Carlos lied and , because he doesn't service Blacks, I'm so happy that my brother reached out to another school, that will help him!!

Recently passed the road test; would definitely recommend for people who are learning how to drive…read moreand are beginners. All thanks to Carlos & David for teaching and giving easy advice on the road.

Carlos is a great instructor and really wants his students to be great drivers! He helped me get my…read moredrivers license :) I highly recommend new drivers and experienced (from other countries) to reach out for his services!

The driving instructor was calm but wasn't able to answer my questions. He confused me at times…read morewith his instruction but overall a good experience.

So disappointed with this school. Nothing is working with them. Their online lessons don't work…read more They don't respond to my messages and phone calls. Can't schedule driving for my daughter because they keep delaying. Will work with other families that have this issues to report this scam business.

Cannot recommend Ride Chicago enough! My very precious boy…read morehas wanted to ride a bike for years. At 18 yrs old we finally relented. I don't doubt his skill as he's an excellent car driver. I do doubt all the crazies on the road! And I want my kiddo to last until old man adulthood! So I wanted him to have as much practice as possible from people who truly care. Freddie saw Jay for riding skills / lessons for the last couple of weeks and wow! Not only is my boy hooked but I have a deeper respect for these guys that take their time to take the students seriously. As a Mum who wants her kiddo riding as safe as possible, I thought nothing of multiple lessons and of course the onsite licensing class. Alden in the office was brilliant at working out the scheduling that worked with our crazy calendar and we now have a fully licensed rider who sailed through the test with zero marks taken off. My son will have a break for the winter and I will once again see if Jay can give him a refresher in the late Spring before the season really starts to give my kiddo every success to enjoy his riding! Thank you Ride Chicago! You gave Freddie the world he was hoping to ride in!

I just watched the state test video on Ride Chicago's YouTube channel in preparation for Day 2 of…read morethe basic motorcycle training class. Day 1 was fantastic. This was my very first time on a motorcycle. Henry and Natalie are great instructors. Sure, they know how to ride and instruct on skills. What they are really good at is developing relationships to aid in instruction. They learn your name, encourage and provide guidance in a way that keeps your head in the game. I highly recommend Ride Chicago.

Safe Start has been a pinnacle in my learning to drive. Steve, my instructor is very knowledgeable,…read moreinsightful, and respectful. It has taken me a long time to learn, but Safe Start is a gem of a school and I look forward to being on the road.

Great place highly recommend. Our son was very happy here and the instructors were all very good.read more

The instructor was rude and had no patience. It was his way or the highway. I only did the 2hr and…read moredriving test. I already got driving lessons from Joyce's driving school. I only probably got an hours worth cause I had to share with someone. He said I wasn't going to pass, he was 50/50 but jokes on him..I did pass it. It was not because of Carlos..

I highly recommend this driving school. Working with David B., Martha, and Carlos was such a…read morepleasure. They gave me great advice and were very patient with me as a nervous beginner driver. I was able to finally start gaining some confidence behind the wheel and pass my road test during the second time with some more practice. In the span of 2 weeks I was able to get licensed. If you're looking for a driving school this is the place to go!

Wanted to report that Michele Edison is AWESOME and got me where I needed to be to be road test…read moreready. I thankfully had some experience going in, but she really helped me consider things I hadn't before, and most importantly, corrected bad habits that I had learned along the way. I have obtained my license today and consider myself a success story for the driving school. The website is confusing at times, but the instructors are top quality. If you live around a location and are looking for a good driving school I would recommend it.

I just had trouble trying to find available dates for an adult refresher class and the agent was…read moretrying to find my availability and it turns out that Nicole from Nova school found me some dates in late August, after being reviewed the same day by my boss, I was at work all day, Nicole told me I had until the end of day to pay and mind me I am still at work, she wouldn't confirm the dates and the name of my instructor- Needless to say I will have to Hard pass on that driving school that I feel has a total lack of consideration for their clients times and schedule! Now I have requested these dates off for nothing! And I can't change them ! That's unacceptable! My time is limited and I will not go ahead with this driving school!

We've been to the Old Town School many times, but not for several years now. A close cousin was…read moreplaying, who teaches at the school. We had tickets to see him play. Not reviewing his music (which was fantastic), but the venue. The room we were in was like a black box theater. The room was fairly small and intimate. It was open seating and when we arrived it was pretty full. We were very fortunate that there were two seats open in the third row. The room is acoustically sound (pun intended)... Seriously, being small, they really don't need to amplify the sound, even though they did have a microphone set up. As we were leaving, we got to roam the halls around the school. There were a lot of fun, vintage posters that were a lot of fun to look at. We met quite a few people who either had been students there, or were current students who had nothing but good things to say about the caliber of the educators and the Old Town School. Based on the performances we've seen there of students and faculty, I'd say we agree.

This update is regarding a visit to OSF was to attend their Wiggleworms open house. I've left the…read moreoverall rating the same because OTSFM is still great for a lot of reasons, but the Wiggleworms class isn't one of them. I've heard of the class before and always thought if I had a kid I'd take them, but I think the age range starts at 6 months so we started with a class with a different provider, Music Playhouse of Chicago. I'm glad we came to this one to try it out. While the kids seemed to be having fun, I didn't like it as much as the Music Playhouse class. Wiggleworms doesn't seem to have a developed curriculum. This was just an activity where the kids can grab shakers and toys, and the leader will sing what they want or take requests from the kids, but not a class that has any kind of particular learning outcomes upon which children build. Maybe it was different because it was an open house but I'd have expected they would showcase what an actual class was, and I think it's just not what I prefer. There are some pluses, though. They have weekend classes, which can be hard to find with other music classes for kids. I think it may also be significantly less expensive than the one I take my kiddo to. And they may have a few more babies-only classes than where we go now, which usually has only one of any (depending upon enrollment). I didn't realize before I had a child but there's a huge difference between children of 0-18 months and those beyond, so mixed age classes wasn't my thing at the time. So Wiggleworms has its pros, but overall I'd visit Old Town SFM for the classes and concerts but choose another children's music class.